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REGINA, Sask. – The Saskatchewan Trucking Association (STA) today announced its partnership with Natural Resources Canada (NRC), with the association offering a number of training opportunities to help carriers increase fuel efficiency.

“Educating member companies on these programs is important to the STA because it is beneficial to the companies,” said Nicole Sinclair, director of policy and communications for the STA. “With carbon tax coming to Saskatchewan, fuel consumption is very top of mind.”

Part of the STA’s effort includes assistance to member carriers with NRC’s SmartWay Transport Partnership program.

With the goal of cutting fuel costs, improving efficiency, and encouraging best practices in freight supply chains, the SmartWay program has encouraged more than 3,600 North American companies to take part in the effort.

The program was originally launched by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2004 and has been administered in Canada since 2012. It is a voluntary program that helps businesses benchmark operations, track fuel consumption, and improve overall performance.

FleetSmart, along with SmartDriver, is another program the STA will help carriers implement as part of its partnership with NRC.

With FleetSmart, drivers, instructors, and fleet managers learn about the impact driving habits, business practices, and energy-efficient vehicles have on operating costs, emissions, and productivity.

SmartDriver pairs with FleetSmart as a web-based training tool for the program, teaching driving habits that help improve fuel economy.

Finally, the Green Freight Assessment program is an effort from NRC that provides contributions of up to $10,000 to carriers to review the state of their fleets. The assessment helps companies make informed decisions to reduce fuel costs and GHG emissions.

The STA said heavy-duty trucks account for a significant amount of emissions from the transportation sector, and demand for freight continues to grow alongside the economy.

Current government regulations mandating GHG emissions from commercial vehicles help reduce emissions from new models. The Green Freight Assessment program aims to assist older fleets that do not fall under these new regulations by identifying energy efficient operational practices, new technologies, and alternative fuel vehicles.

“As an industry, we care about reducing our carbon footprint,” said Sinclair, “both from an environmental and financial perspective.”

The STA will continue to provide information on these environmental programs on its website and social media platforms.